Meditation on St Luke

This is a theological painting. St Luke is writing his gospel as a result of the act of contemplating the mystery of the incarnation. The Blessed Mother–like the pelican– feeds the Christ child from her breast as a sign of her unity with her Son who will one day feed the world with the blood and water springing from his side.

St Luke writes the gospel which is his witness of the incarnation. Tradition has it that he was not only the gospel writer, but was also an artist, and that he produced the first icons of the Blessed Virgin. So the artist beholds the artist beholding the image–the icon–of God who is Christ the Lord. The author of the Word of God beholds the Word made flesh. The Mother and child is the mystery of the image of God in Man and woman. The second Eve holds the second Adam and presents him to the world.

The scene is set, not in Palestine in the first century, but in Flanders in the fifteenth century. Why is that? Because the artist–Rogier Van der Weyden– wants to show that the mysteries he is portraying are timeless. They are alive in his own time. They are alive here and now in this present moment.

Finally, do you see the couple on the bridge in the background? Who are they? Two passers by. Christ the Son of God was incarnate and died for their salvation, but they are intent only on themselves–maybe they are courting– watching the river of life flow by–oblivious of the mysteries that are above and beyond and behind them–mysteries they can only come to know through the ‘sacrament’ of the Sacred Scriptures recorded by the Evangelist St Luke.

Father, Has anyone done something like this in our time? I would love to see a similar scene in the 21st century.

http://www.blogger.com/profile/12373317560249811006 Fr Longenecker

Yes. Consider the work of Texas artist and Catholic convert John Collier. He has an interesting Annunciation painting set in contemporary costume

http://www.blogger.com/profile/17691145638703824456 kkollwitz

My guess is those two people on the bridge commissioned the painting, but in their modesty are shown from behind.

http://www.blogger.com/profile/15496407277695910607 Ron Rolling

Could the couple in the background be Adam and Eve, still waiting for their salvation to come to them?

http://www.blogger.com/profile/13070884396789350035 maria horvath

Father,I would love to see other meditations like this on religious works of art.

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Welcome to Standing on My Head! I'm a former Evangelical, then an Anglican priest, now a Catholic priest. If you want to learn more about me click on the "Bio" tab in the header. The header tabs also contain my archived articles, with my conversion stories and writings on Catholic apologetics. You can have a look [Read More...]

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